Forms, Circulars & Regulations

Operator Certification

February 20th-22nd 40th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Show – Great Falls

March 5th-7th 27th Annual Spring Water School – Billings

March 26th-28th 25th Annual Spring Water School – Kalispell

May 14th Wastewater Systems and Drinking Water Rules, Sampling, and Monitoring– Helena

May 15th Water and Wastewater Certification Review – Helena

October 8th-10th 86th Annual Fall Water School – MSU, Bozeman

In Montana, all drinking water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, or water distribution systems must be operated under the supervision of a fully certified operator to ensure the proper management, operation, and maintenance of the system. DEQ administers both the water and wastewater operator certification programs and provides testing and program information services to ensure comprehensive, ongoing training is provided to Montana’s water and wastewater operator community.

High School Diploma or College Diploma or Transcipts or GED. If no Education, a Competency Assessment must be taken.

Two days of education in post-secondary engineering training or the equivalent may be substituted for each day of experience, up to one-half of the experience requirement.

Work Experience Requirements for Full Certification

Class 4 - One year

Class 3 - One and a half years

Class 2 - Two years

Class 1 - Two and a half years

Choose Your Exam:

WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR EXAMS

Montana Water Distribution System Operator Exam

ABC Water Distribution System Operator Equivalent

Class 1A

Class III

Class 2A

Class II

Class 3A

Class 1

Montana Water Treatment System Operator Exam

ABC Water Treatment System Operator Equivalent

Class 1B

Class III

Class 2B

Class II

Class 3B

Class 1

Montana Small Water System Class 4AB

ABC Very Small Water System Operators

WASTEWATER SYSTEM OPERATOR EXAMS

Montana Municipal Wastewater Exam

ABC Wastewater Equivalent

Class 1C

Class III

Class 3C

Class 1

Montana Industrial Wastewater Exam

ABC Industrial Equivalent

Class 1D

Physical/Chemical Class IV

Class 2D

Biological Class II

Class 3D

Physical/Chemical Class II

Class 4D

Biological Class I

Class 2E-4E

No conversion

Water Exam Application The Drinking Water Application Checklist outlines the requirements to become a certified drinking water operator. Drinking Water Application is for Certification as an operator of a water distribution system or a water treament system

Wastewater Exam Application The Wastewater Application Checklist outlines the requirements to become a certified wastewater operator. Drinking Wastewater Application is for r certification as an operator of a municipal, industrial, or on-site wastewater treatment system.

Schedule an Exam New applicants must schedule exam a minimum of 30 days before exam date. Others must schedule 15 days in advance of exam date. To register for an examination contact Jen VandenBos at (406) 444-4584 or at: OperatorCertification@mt.gov

The Drinking Water Application Checklist outlines the requirements to become a certified drinking water operator. Drinking Water Application is for Certification as an operator of a water distribution system or a water treament system.

The Wastewater Application Checklist outlines the requirements to become a certified wastewater operator. Drinking Wastewater Application is for r certification as an operator of a municipal, industrial, or on-site wastewater treatment system.

Montana law requires all water and wastewater facilities be maintained by a Certified Operator. Contact DEQ for information regarding what to do if you do not currently have a certified operator for your facility.

DEQ may issue a Temporary Operator Certification to an operator responsible for a specific system who does not meet the full certification requirements. A temporary certificate can be granted upon:

(a) Written request to DEQ by the system owner and verification by the owner that the system is unable to employ a fully certified operator; and

(b) A finding by DEQ that the operator has the basic knowledge necessary to operate the system and that public health will be protected.

The department shall base its decision on:

the results of any on-site inspection of the system;

review of the plans and specifications of the system;

review of the operator's records, experience and training; and examination of any other reasonably available and relevant information.

A temporary certificate is effective for six months from the date of issuance, or until the operator becomes fully certified, whichever occurs first. A temporary certificate is valid only for the person to whom it is issued, for the system identified on the certificate, and for the period of time identified on the certificate.

Have an approved Montana certification application on file. To have your application approved, you must fully complete a Montana application for the classification and type that is comparable to the certification you currently hold in another state.

Submit with your application:

A letter outlining the requirements for the certification you hold in another state, how you met those requirements, and the amount of experience you have had with specific types of systems or treatment processes.

Copies of your credentials of certification and any other supporting documents, including the name and phone number of the certification contact in the other state

$70 reciprocity fee and $70 application fee for each water and wastewater application.

If your request for reciprocity is approved, you will receive the appropriate certification in the mail. Note that since other state agencies must be contacted to verify information, this process may take up to six weeks to complete.

Operators can now check their CEC status reports online at Operator CEC Totals. Please allow two to three weeks after attending training for CECs to show up in the CEC status report. Contact the DEQ at 444-3434 if you find any errors or discrepancies on this report.

CERTIFICATION RENEWALS

Renewal fees: $30 for Drinking Water certificate, and $40 for Wastewater certificate

Certified operators must renew their certificates yearly. Every even-numbered year, appropriate CEC requirements must be met by May 31. A surplus of CECs earned during one biennium will not be applied to the following biennium. All training classes must be approved by DEQ.

COURSE APPROVAL and REPORTING

Before CECs can be earned for a course, the course must be approved for credit on a Montana Certification Office Individual Approval Form. Courses must be reported on a Montana Credit Report Form which contains the signature of the course provider or Certificate of Completion submitted with the form.

Courses Approved for Dual CECs

Operators who hold certification in both water and wastewater can earn CECs for both certifications when attending a course DEQ has approved as a dual CEC course.

Courses Only Approved for One-Half CECs

Training not directly applicable to water or wastewater plant operation can be approved for training but may only earn one-half the amount of CECs. Remember a CPR class is only good for credit the first time you take it.

CEC Requirements by Class:

Class

Experience Needed

FC CEC Requirements

OT CEC Requirements

Class 1

2.5 Years

20 Hours (2.0)

10 Hours (1.0)

Class 2

2 Years

10 Hours (1.0)

5 Hours (.50)

Class 3

1.5 Years

10 Hours (1.0)

5 Hours (.50)

Class 4

1 Year

10 Hours (1.0)

5 Hours (.50)

Class 5

NA

4 Hours (.40)

2 Hours (.20)

There is no longer a Class 5AB operator (class 4 & 5 are now combined)

About Us

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is charged with protecting a clean and healthy environment as guaranteed to our citizens by our State Constitution. Our ultimate goal is to protect public health and to maintain Montana's
high quality of life for current and future generations.